Full FeedApple remains silent on apparent iPhone 3G S overheating issue
Although I do not own an iPhone 3G S (yet) to confirm this issue, many iPhone 3G S, users are reporting overheating issues with the device, which is apparently dramatically affecting battery life.
Reports of this issue first came up on Nowhere Else, but has been confirmed by tech editors David Coursey and Melissa J. Perenson of PC World, who have both personally experienced the problem. According to Perenson, the iPhone became so heated that she couldn’t even touch her face with it. Coursey believes the issue has to do with the new and improved processor in the 3G S, which seems to work overtime in some iPhones when working with memory-intensive applications. Others have said that the problem is with the battery itself, which seems to be supported by evidence of a white 3G S that turned brown along the back around where the battery is located (shown in the picture above).
Apple has been asked to issue a statement on the issue, but they have yet to give one. It’s hard to know if this is a major problem and how many iPhone 3G S devices are in danger of damage from overheating. It is not yet known if this is just a defective problem in some devices or if all iPhone 3G Ss are at risk of this problem when running certain memory-intensive apps. Most importantly, it is not yet known if people are at a physical risk because of the overheating.
Apple is known to have had battery problems in the past, such as with the Sony batteries used in the iBook G4 and PowerBook G4. However, the main problem in this situation is that the iPhone’s battery is sealed in, and replacing it yourself would void your warranty. Whether a recall is ahead is unknown, but this could potentially be a major inconvenience for 3G S users.
If any iPhone 3G S owners are experiencing overheating issues, feel free to tell us about it in the comments.
Via [Wired]
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I do believe that a very small number of 3GS are running too hot (overheating) but I don’t believe it is a real problem.
Anyone with a defective phone should bring the phone back to Apple and get it replaced. Wow, that was easy.
It’s unfortunate that a few of the new phones turned out to be lemons but that is out of millions of phones sold. Let’s keep some perspective.
The early blog posts (not necessarily on this site but on iphone and/or gadget blogs) were running alarming headlines based on the single white overheating iPhone. Seriously.
on July 2, 2009 at 09:40 AM - LINKI have an iPhone 3G 16GB. I had it in a case which was on my belt. Suddenly I felt something very hot at my waist. It was my iPhone, when I took it out of my case it was extremely hot and it woould not come on. I purchased my phone through Rogers, so I called them for support. The first tech said to connect it to itunes and do a back up and then a soft reset through itunes. I had to get my USB connector, so I got off the phone got my USB connector and plugged it into my computer. Nothing itunes did not see the phone at all. So I called Rogers support back, when I got through the second time the tech told me I had to plug the phone into a power outlet for 4 to 5 hours to see if it came back. I got off the phone to do this, then I thought so what other steps were they going to make me go through, so I called them right back got a 3rd tech and I asked after this step of recharging if nothing works what are all the next steps I will need to complete, so I don’t have to call back after each step. The last step is to do a hard reset, after which if that does not work, they will possibly replace the phone. We will see.
on October 5, 2009 at 03:14 PM - LINK